1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for diagnosing an electronic device in support of household electronic devices of users.
2. Description of the Background Art
Household electronic devices have been supported so far by makers (after-sale service). FIG. 50 is an illustration schematically showing a flow of procedures between a user of an electronic device (or a customer in support of an electronic device) and a support division (so-called service center) of a maker in a conventional support system.
First, when a user finds a malfunction of an electronic device, the user inquires of the maker's support division about how to repair the malfunction through a telephone (steps ST911 and ST921). When the support division can clearly determine how to repair the malfunction, they answer how to repair the malfunction to the user. However, in many cases, they cannot determine how to repair the malfunction and therefore, they designate a repair method considered to be probably proper to the user (steps ST922 and ST912).
The user takes action for the malfunction in accordance with the designation from the support division (step ST913). When the malfunction is repaired in accordance with the designation, the support procedure is completed (step ST914). However, if the malfunction cannot be repaired, the user communicates with the support division many times (step ST915). During the above period, when the user or the support division determines that the malfunction cannot be repaired by the user, the electronic device is mailed or brought to the support division (steps ST916 and ST923).
The support division inspects the received electronic device. When a trouble is found, they eliminate the trouble and return the device to the user (steps ST924, ST925, and ST917). When no trouble is found, they estimate that the user erroneously operated the electronic device and return the device to the user.
However, because household electronic devices have become sophisticated and complicated, a problem occurs that the above support system cannot completely function. For example, even if a user finds a trouble and inquires of the support division through a telephone, the user cannot easily communicate with the support division because the number of inquiries increases. Moreover, though users can inquire by facsimile or E-mail recently, in many cases, it takes a lot of time to receive an answer because the number of inquiries increases.
Furthermore, because household electronic devices have become sophisticated and complicated, it has been difficult for the support division to clarify the cause of trouble only through communication from a user. For example, the number of cases increases in which a user feels that operations of an electronic device are somehow different from past operations though the device operates, or a user misunderstands that an electronic device is broken down though the device operates normally. In these cases, it is very difficult for the support division to clarify the cause of trouble only by the transfer of information through the conversation between the user and the support division.
The electronic device having trouble is sent to a support division when repair method cannot be found. However, the trouble is not reproduced by the support division and resultantly, no action is taken for the trouble. As a result, the device is returned to the user and thus, the user has dissatisfaction.
Unnecessary transport of an electronic device is wasteful in cost and moreover, a precise electronic device may be broken down or the information stored in the device may be lost.
Of course, there has been an art of informing the type of trouble caused in an electronic device to a user. For example, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-5555 (1995) discloses a self-diagnosing camera in which a diagnosis result is displayed on a film counter as code information. Moreover, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-43538 (1994) discloses a camera for recording self-diagnosis information in a film.
However, information of conventional diagnosis does not show that the device is normal, trouble of the device can be settled or cannot be settled by the user, or does not clearly show how to do next. That is, finally, inefficient information transfer through conversation or documents may be necessary between the above user and the support division and in some cases, an excessive support cost is required.